Feeding and sorting device for punched cards and the like



E. EISSFELDT June 22, 1965 FEEDING AND SORTING DEVICE FOR PUNCHED CARDS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 15, 1962 United States Patent 3 Claims. (a. 271- 41 The invention disclosed herein is concerned with a sorting and feeding device for punched cards and the like, which is to be considered as an improvement on the device disclosed in copending application Serial No. 143,888, tiled October 9, 1961, the rights of which are assigned to the assignee named in the present case.

The device described in the copending application, which is adapted to readily process 120,000 cards per hour, comprises means for highly accelerating the feed motion of individual cards which are withdrawn or ejected from a staple of cards. The feed motion of the individual cards is successively accelerated by the use of a plurality of transport or feed rollers, preferably three rollers, which are successively disposed along the feeding path and apply the accelerating forces to the sides of the cards, as distinguished from the edges thereof, thus subjecting the individual cards to relatively slight mechanical stresses.

This mode of accelerating the feeding motion of the card-s, insofar as they are individually withdrawn or ejected from a card magazine, requires that the individual cards are with respect to the scanning or reading time thereof, that is, after completion of the acceleration operation, relatively greatly spaced from one another. However, this is unfavorable in view of the dimensions of the machine which reads the information provided on the respective cards.

In order to overcome this drawback, the copending application proposes to withdraw from the magazine cards in fan-like overlapping relationship, and to effect separation thereof only after completion of the acceleration to the final speed of motion of the respective cards. As is likewise explained in the copending application, the width of the discharge or exit gap of the magazine, through which the cards are withdrawn, must be so dimensioned that exactly two cards, which are mutually somewhat staggered or displaced, can be drawn therefrom or pushed thereto.

Upon meeting these rules and also the requirements noted in the copending application with respect to the spacing between the individual feed rollers, there will be obtained a satisfactorily operating card transport and feeding device with the previously indicated high transport speed.

However, difiiculties might arise upon operatively switching in the feeding device at an instant when two cards lying one above the other but which are not yet mutually staggered, are pushed in common through the discharge or ejection gap of the magazine, in which case the transport or feed rollers, following the gap, cannot separate the cards because such cards are gripped in common by each successive feed roller. A reading of the information which is stored in the cards in the form of perforations, is thus made impossible.

The present invention proposes to remedy this situation by the provision, exteriorly of the card magazine, of sensing means which acts to reduce the width of the card discharg or exit gap in the event that at least one card does not project from the gap by an accurately predetermined amount or vice versa.

The device according to the present invention, which is applicable to the device described in the copending ap- Fid dfi il Patented June 22, 1965 plication, thus provides means whereby the discharge or exit gap of the magazine, through which the cards which are to be separated are withdrawn, is controlled so as to reduce the width of such gap so long as no card projects from the gap by a given amount, for example, by an amount corresponding to one-third of th Width of a card, thus permitting transport, through this narrowed gap, of only one single card which can be moved therethrough, whereupon the gap is widened by the action of a device, preferably an electromagnetically operating device, so that second card can move through the widened gap together with the card that moved through the narrowed gap, such second card being however staggered with respect to the first card. Upon moving, that is, upon pushing the second card at such instant through the gap or pulling it therethrough .by frictional engagement with the first card, the two cards will be mutually displaced or staggered by an accurately determined amount, thereby enabling the acceleration means, constructed according to the copend-ing application, to effect complete separation of the cards so that the two cards are, after completion of the acceleration, mutually spaced by an accurate-1y predetermined minimum amount which is most favorable for the scanning or reading or further processing thereof.

The device according to the present invention requires [sensing means for supervising the exit of a tirst card from the discharge gap of the magazine. The corresponding sensing means can be constructed in most varied manner, whereby mechanic-a1 members which are actuated by the cards or likewise electro-optical sensing means, can be readily applied. Electr c-optical sensing means, that is, a light beam and photocell, are in view of the high speeds involved and also for avoiding stresses on the cards, particularly adapted for purposes of the invention.

Further details and advantages of the invention will appear from the description which is render-ed below with reference to the accompanying drawing showing in schematic representation an embodiment thereof.

The card sorting and feeding device as such corresponds to the one which is described in the previously mentioned copending application. The following explanations are therefore mainly directed to the auxiliary control mean-s provided in accordance with the present invention.

The card supply container or magazine V is, at the side at which the cards are to be discharged or ejected from the bottom thereof, provided with a wall V1 which can be raised by means of an electromagnet E from -a first position defining a gap of a width not less than the thickness of a single card, to a second position wherein the width of the gap formed is not less than the thickness of two cards. The electromagnet E is traversed by current at a time of interruption of the light beam emanating from the light source L and extending to the photocell F. As will be readily apparent from the drawing, such interruption of the light beam is effected at a time When at least one card has left the magazine, at which time the gap can be enlarged to a width corresponding to the thickness of two cards. Light-electrical controls of this kind are well known and explanations with respect to details thereof are therefore omitted.

As noted before, the invention may also be realized by the use of mechanically operating or differently constructed sensing means, making it also possible to provide for fully automatic supervision of the withdrawal or ejection of cards.

Changes may be made within the scope and spirit of the appended claims which define what is believed to be new and desired to have protected by Letters Patent.

I claim:

1. A device for feeding and transporting like information carriers of the type of punched cards and magnetically marked cards and the like, having a supply of like cards stacked in a magazine at the bottom of which is formed a gap through which the respectively lowermost cards can be withdrawn, and having a plurality of feedout roller-s operating with different peripheral speed for successively accelerating the feed motion of withdrawn cards, whereby cards are transported from rollers operating with lower peripheral speed to rollers operating with higher peripheral speed and wherein said cards, during normal operation, are to be discharged from such magazine two at a time in superposed, mutually staggered relation, comprising sensing means at the exterior of said magazine disposed to sense the presence or absence of at least one card projecting from said magazine, a portion of said magazine defining said card discharge gap being movable into either of two operating positions, in one of which said gap is of a width corresponding to the thickness of :two cards, and in the other of which said gap is of a width corresponding to the thickness of one card, means for effecting movement of said magazine portion between said operating positions, said sensing means being operatively connected to said last mentioned means for controlling the latter to provide a gap which will pass two 4 cards from said magazine when the presence of at least one card is sensed by said sensing means, and provide a gap which will pass only one card, in the absence of a card at said sensing means.

2. A device according to claim ll, wherein said movement effecting means comprises an electromagnetically operating motion-control device, which is electrically controlled by said sensing means.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said sensing means comprises a photo electric device disposed exteriorly of said magazine for sensing respectively the presence or absence of a card projecting from said magazine.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/60 Eichenbaum et al. 101132.5 3/62 Aweid a et al. 271-57 X ROBERT E PULFREY, RAPHAEL M. LUPO, WIL- LIAM B. LA BORDE, Examiners. 

1. A DEVICE FOR FEEDING AND TRANSPORTING LIKE INFORMATION CARRIERS OF THE TYPE OF PUNCHED CARDS AND MANGETICALLY MARKED CARDS AND THE LIKE, HAVING A SUPPLY OF LIKE CARDS STACKED IN A MAGAZINE AT THE BOTTOM, OF WHICH IS FORMED A GAP THROUGH WHICH THE RESPECTIVELY LOWERMOST CARDS CAN BE WITHDRAWN, AND HAVINGT A PLURALITY OF FEEDOUT ROLLERS OPERATING WITH DIFFERENT PERIPHERAL SPEED FOR SUCCESSIVELY ACCELERATING THE FEED MOTION OF WITHDRAWN CARDS, WHEREBY CARDS ARE TRANSPORTED FROM ROLLERS OPERATING WITH LOWER PERIPHERAL SPEED TO ROLLERS OPERATING WITH HIGHER PERIPERAL SPEED AND WHEREIN SAID CARDS, DURING NORMAL OPERATION, ARE TO BE DISCHARGE FROM SUCH MAGAZINE TWO AT A TIME IN SUPERPOSED, MUTUALLY STAGGERED RELATION, COMPRISING SENSING MEANS AT THE EXTERIOR OF SAID MAGAZINE DISPOSED TO SENSE THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF AT LEAST ONE CARD PROJECTING FROM SAID MAGAZINE, A PORTION OF SAID MAGAZINE DEFINING SAID CARD DISCHARGE GAP BEING MOVABLE INTO EITHER OF TWO OPERATING POSITIONS, IN ONE OF WHICH SAID GAP IS OF A WIDTH CORRESPONDING TO THE THICKNESS OF TWO CARDS, AND IN THE OTHER OF WHICH SAID GAP IS OF A WIDTH CORRESPONDING TO THE THICKNESS OF ONE CARD, MEANS OF EFFECTING MOVEMENT OF SAID MAGAZINE PORTION BETWEEN SAID OPERATING POSITIONS, SAID SENSING MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE LATTER TO PROVIDED A GAP WHICH WILL PASS TWO CARDS FROM SAID MAGAZINE WHEN THE PRESENCE OF AT LEAST ONE CARD IS SENSED BY SAID SENSING MEANS, AND PROVIDE A GAP WHICH WILL PASS ONLY ONE CARD, IN THE ABSENCE OF A CARD AT SAID SENSING MEANS. 